Conferencing system and method implementing video quasi-muting

ABSTRACT

A first communication is provided for use in a video conference session with a second communication portal via a network. The first communication portal may be configured to transmit live video stream of a participant through the second communication portal for presentation on a display thereof, and to a receive control instruction the participant to stop transmitting live video stream. The first communication portal may also be configured to selectively transmit a video clip showing the participant for playback on the display based on the received control instruction.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of communication systemsand, more particularly, to conferencing systems and methods thatimplement video quasi-muting.

BACKGROUND

A video conference session is a way for physically separatedparticipants to electronically communicate with each other using bothaudio and video. Each participant of a particular video conferencesession can hear, view, and provide audio and/or video to otherparticipants of the same conference session in real time by way of atelecommunication portal (e.g., a desk top computer, a laptop computer,a videophone, a handheld device such as a smart phone or tablet, etc.).Some participants may actively participate in the conference session bycontributing to a conversation, while other participants may passivelyparticipate by only viewing and/or listening to the conversation.

During a video conference session, a situation may arise where aparticipant that is only passively participating (e.g., not activelycontributing to a conversation of the session) does not want to be heardand/or seen by other participants of the conference session. Forexample, the passive participant may need to perform a task unrelated tothe conference session (e.g., answer a phone call or compose an email)or to momentarily leave the conference session. At the same time, thepassive participant may not wish to disrupt the conference session withperformance of the task or with an interruption in video signalassociated with the exodus. Although some video conferencing systems mayallow the passive participant to mute audio recording of themselves(e.g., when the passive participant activates an audio-mute feature), avideo signal of the passive participant is nevertheless presented to theother conference participants.

Recently, video conferencing technology has been developed that allowsfor virtual muting of video signals from the passive participant. Inparticular, when the passive participant activates a corresponding mutefeature, virtual video is transmitted from a server to the screens ofthe other participants in the conference session, instead of live video.The virtual video includes video clips of the passive participant thatwere previously recorded and stored on the server. The virtual videocontinually transitions between video clips so as to avoid repeating thesame short video clip. An indication of the virtual muting being activeis shown to the passive participant, making the passive participantaware of the activated status of the feature.

Although current video conferencing technology may allow for virtualmuting of video signals from a passive participant, the technology maystill be less than optimal. For example, continuous transmission of thevirtual video from the server may require significant network bandwidth.In addition, a weak network signal could cause interruptions in thetransmission of the virtual video.

SUMMARY

In one disclosed embodiment, a first communication portal is disclosedfor use in a video conference with a second communication portal via anetwork. The first communication portal may be configured to transmitlive video stream of a participant through the second communicationportal for presentation on a display thereof, and to receive a controlinstruction from the participant to stop transmitting live video stream.The first communication portal may also be configured to selectivelytransmit a video clip showing the participant for playback on thedisplay based on the received control instruction.

In another disclosed embodiment, a computer-implemented method formanaging a video conference session is disclosed. Thecomputer-implemented method may include transmitting live video streamof a participant through a communication portal for presentation on adisplay. The computer implemented method may also include receiving acontrol instruction from the participant to stop transmitting live videostream, and selectively sending a video clip showing the participant forplayback on the display based on the control instruction.

In yet another disclosed embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readablemedium is provided. The computer-readable medium is encoded withinstructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method for managing a video conference session. The method mayinclude transmitting live video stream of a participant through acommunication portal for presentation on a display. The method may alsoinclude receiving a control instruction from the participant to stoptransmitting live video stream, and selectively sending a video clipshowing the participant for playback on the display based on the controlinstruction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute partof this disclosure, together with the description, illustrate and serveto explain the principles of various example embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example video conferencing system, in whichvarious implementations described herein may be practiced.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example video conferencing portal that may beused in conjunction with the video conferencing system of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts of example processes for managing videoconference sessions, in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example interface associated with a videoconference session, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a video conferencingsystem. Video conferencing involves the sharing of audio and videosignals between remotely located participants and associatedcommunication portals. Audio and video of each conference participantmay be captured by the disclosed system, and streamed live tocommunication portals of the other participants of the same conferencesession. As will be described in more detail below, when a particularparticipant desires live video of themselves to no longer be streamed tothe portals of the other participants, a previously recorded video clipof the particular participant may be provided for replay by thecommunication portals of the other participants in place of the livevideo. During video clip replay, audio of the particular participant maybe muted. For the purposes of this disclosure, the stopping of the livevideo streaming, coupled with the playback of the video clip at theportals of the other participants, may be considered “quasi-muting” ofthe video.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, computer-implemented methods formanaging a video conference session are also provided. As will bedescribed in more detail below, the computer-implemented methods can beexecuted, for example, in desktop and/or mobile environments. In theseenvironments, the disclosed methods may be implemented as stand-aloneapplications and/or software, or within a web browser (e.g., aWebRTC-based environment). The disclosed methods may provide for mutingof audio and quasi-muting of video with reduced network loading, signalinterference, and delay.

Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments of thepresent disclosure, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 shows an example conferencing system 10, in which variousimplementations described herein may be practiced. Conferencing system10 represents, for example, a collaborative environment that allowsremotely located participants 12 (e.g., a first participant 12 b, asecond participant 12 b, and a group of participants 12 c) to engage inreal-time audio and video sharing via any number of separatecommunication portals 14 (e.g., a first portal 14 a, a second portal 14b, and a third portal 14 c). Communication portals 14 may be connectedto each other, for example, by way of a network 16. It is alsocontemplated that communication portals 14 could alternatively beconnected to each other by way of a peer-to-peer connection, ifavailable.

Each portal 14 may be an electronic device having data entry, datatransmission, and/or data display capabilities. In some embodiments, oneor more of portals 14 are mobile computing devices such as a smartphone, a tablet, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs), a laptop ornotebook computer, a gaming console, a drone, or any combination ofthese devices. In other embodiments, one or more of portals 14 is astationary device such as a desktop computer or a conferencing console.As shown in the example component diagram of FIG. 2, portal 14 mayinclude a display 18, any number of input/output (“I/O”) devices 20, oneor more camera devices 22, one or more single- or multi-core processors24, and a memory 26 having stored thereon one or more programs 28 anddata 30.

Display 18 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emittingdiode (LED) screen, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen,and/or another known display device. Display 18 may be used for therendering of video signals, graphics, and text under the control ofprocessor 32.

I/O devices 20 may be configured to send and receive information. I/Odevices 20 may include, for example, a keyboard, buttons, switches, atouchscreen panel (e.g., a panel integrated with display 18), and/or aspeaker (e.g., a speaker integrated with display 18). I/O devices 20 mayalso include one or more communication modules (not shown) for sendinginformation to and receiving information from other components of system10 by, for example, establishing wired or wireless connectivity betweenportals 14 and network 20 (referring to FIG. 1).

Camera device 22 may be a standalone device or a device that is embeddedwithin portal 14. As shown in the example embodiment of FIG. 2, cameradevice 22 can include one or more processors 32, one or more cameras(e.g., cameras that capture different angles of a participant) 34, amemory 36, a microphone 38, and a transceiver 40. It is contemplatedthat camera device 22 can include additional or fewer components,depending on the type of portal 14.

Processor 32 of camera device 22 may be configured with virtualprocessing technologies, and use logic to simultaneously execute andcontrol any number of operations. Processor 32 may be configured toimplement virtual machine or other known technologies to execute,control, run, manipulate, and store any number of software modules,applications, programs, etc. In some embodiments, processor 32 can beconfigured to execute instructions to receive commands from processor 24associated with video data capture and/or transmission. It iscontemplated that, in some embodiments, processor 32 may be omitted andthe functions described above alternatively performed directly byprocessor 24, if desired.

Camera 34 may include one or more sensors for converting optical imagesto digital still image and/or video data. The one or more image sensorscan include known sensors such as semiconductor charge-coupled devices(CCD), complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, and otherdevices capable of providing image data to processor 32.

Memory 36 can be a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor,tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type of storage deviceor tangible (i.e., non-transitory) computer-readable medium that storescomputer executable code such as firmware that causes processor 32 toperform one or more functions associated with image capture, dataprocessing, data storage, data transmitting via transceiver 40, and datareceiving via transceiver 40. In some embodiments, memory 36 can includeone or more buffers for temporarily storing image data received fromcamera 34, before transmitting the image data as a camera feed toprocessor 24.

Microphone 38 can include one or more sensor for converting acousticwaves proximate to camera device 22 to a stream of digital audio data.In some embodiments, camera device 22 transmits a camera feed toprocessor 24, including video image data and/or audio data.

Transceiver 40 may include a wired or wireless communication modulecapable of sending and receiving data via network 20, a local network,and/or another direct communication link with one or more components insystem 10. In some embodiments, transceiver 40 can receive data fromprocessor 24, including instructions for processor 32 to activate camera34 and capture video/audio data and for processor 32 to transmit acamera feed via transceiver 40. In response to the receivedinstructions, transceiver 40 can packetize and transmit camera feed,including audio and/or video image data to processor 24 and/or directlyto network 20.

Processor 24 can include one or more processing devices configured toperform functions of the disclosed methods. Processor 24 can constitutea single core or multiple core processors executing parallel processessimultaneously. For example, processor 24 can be a single core processorconfigured with virtual processing technologies. In certain embodiments,processor 24 uses logical processors to simultaneously execute andcontrol multiple processes. Processor 24 can implement virtual machinetechnologies, or other known technologies to provide the ability toexecute, control, run, manipulate, store, etc. multiple softwareprocesses, applications, programs, etc. In another embodiment, processor24 includes a multiple-core processor arrangement (e.g., dual, quadcore, etc.) configured to provide parallel processing functionalities toallow portal 14 to execute multiple processes simultaneously. Asdiscussed in further detail below, processor 24 is specially configuredwith one or more applications and/or algorithms for performing methodsteps and functions of the disclosed embodiments. For example, processor24 (and portal 14) can be configured with hardware and/or softwarecomponents that enable processor 24 to receive real-time camera feed,record video clips, receive control instructions regarding audio mutingand/or video quasi-muting, and selectively transmit to other portals 14associated with a video conference session the real-time camera feed orthe video clip based on the control instructions. It is appreciated thatother types of processor arrangements could be implemented that providefor the capabilities disclosed herein.

Memory 34 may include a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic,semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type ofstorage device or tangible and/or non-transitory computer-readablemedium that stores one or more executable programs 36, such as a videoconferencing app 42 and data 30. Data 30 can include, for example,information that is personal to the operator of portal 14, accountinformation, settings, and preferences.

In some embodiments, programs 28 include an operating system 44 thatperforms known functions when executed by processor 24. By way ofexample, the operating system may include Microsoft Windows™, Unix™,Linux™, Apple™ operating systems, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) typeoperating systems, such as Microsoft CE™, or another type of operatingsystem. Portal 14 may also include communication software that, whenexecuted by processor 24, provides communications with network 20(referring to FIG. 1), such as Web browser software, tablet, or smarthand held device networking software, etc.

Video conferencing app 42 may cause portal 14 to perform processesrelated to generating, transmitting, storing, and receiving audio and/orvideo in association with other participants of a video conferencesession. For example, video conferencing app 42 may be able to configureportal 14 to perform operations including: capturing a real-time (e.g.,live) video stream, recording a video clip, displaying a graphical userinterface (GUI) for receiving control instructions, receiving controlinstructions from the associated participant via I/O devices 20 and/orthe user interface, processing the control instructions, sending thereal-time video and/or video clips based on the control instructions,receiving real-time video and/or video clips from other portals 14, andstreaming the real-time video or playing back the video clips,animations, and/or still images.

Network 16 may include, alone or in any suitable combination, atelephone-based network (such as a PBX or POTS), a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a dedicated intranet, and/or theInternet. Further, the network architecture may include any suitablecombination of wired and/or wireless components. For example, thecommunication links may include non-proprietary links and protocols, orproprietary links and protocols based on known industry standards, suchas J1939, RS-232, RP122, RS-422, RS-485, MODBUS, CAN, SAEJ1587,Bluetooth, the Internet, an intranet, 802.11 (b, g, n, ac, or ad), orany other communication links and/or protocols known in the art.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate flowcharts of example methods 200 and 300,respectively, for managing a video conference session. Methods 200 and300 can be performed by the various devices disclosed above. Forexample, in some embodiments, methods 200 and 300 are performed by eachof portals 14.

Method 200 may be implemented at the start or continuation of aconference session (Step 205). The conference session is started and/orcontinued, for example, when a conference participant 12 (e.g.,participant 12 a) opens a corresponding video conferencing softwareprogram via portal 14 (e.g., via portal 14 a). The conferenceparticipant 12 may invite, via the software program, any number of otherparticipants 12 (e.g., participants 12 b and 12 c) to join the sameconference session by providing a link, an electronic invitation, atelephone number, etc., to the other participants 12. The link and/orinvitation may be for an immediate conference session or for a futureconference session that is scheduled for a particular day and at aparticular time. To join the conference session, each participant 12utilizes input device 20 of their respective portals 14 (e.g., portals14 b and 14 c) to touch, press, click, or otherwise activate acorresponding physical or virtual feature (e.g., a button, a window, alink, a checkbox, etc.).

As each participant 12 joins the video conference session, live audioand video streaming of each participant 12 begins (Step 22). Audio andvideo signals are captured by audio/video device(s) 22 under thedirection of the processor of each corresponding portal 14, and streamedin real time to each of the other participants' portals 14. Thestreaming video is presented on display 18, with the corresponding audiobeing broadcast via one or more speakers within portal 14. In someembodiments, the audio could additionally or alternatively be convertedto text and shown laid over the video on display 18.

In the flowchart of FIG. 3, at the start and/or continuation of eachvideo conference session, a short video clip (e.g., a clip of about 1-3seconds) of each participant 12 is automatically recorded andcommunicated to all other participants 12 of the same conferencesession. In some embodiments, this recording takes place before the realtime audio and video streaming takes place (e.g., before step 22) and/orat the same time that the real time audio and video is being streamed.For example, a portion of the live streaming audio and video is recordedand stored within memory as the video clip. The video clip, like thereal time streaming audio and video, is captured via audio/videodevice(s) 22 under the direction of the processor of portal 14 andstored within the memory of portal 14. In addition, the video clip maybe communicated to and stored (e.g., stored within a library that isindexed based on an identity of the corresponding participant, aconference number, a conference title, a date, etc.) within the memoriesof the other portals 14, for example via network 16.

In the disclosed example embodiments, the portal 14 of eachcorresponding participant makes the recording of the correspondingparticipant and communicates the recording to all other portals 14 inthe manner described above. However, in other example embodiments, eachportal 14 could alternatively record incoming video and/or audio signalsreceived from all other portals 14, such that communication of therecording may not be necessary.

At some point during the video conference session, a particularparticipant 12 may desire to stop the streaming of live audio and/orvideo signals to the other participants 12, without disrupting theconference session or otherwise distracting the other participants 12.This desire can be indicated, for example, when the particularparticipant 12 touches, presses, clicks, or otherwise activates acorresponding physical or virtual feature of portal 14. For instance,the particular participant 12 may touch an audio mute button and/or avideo quasi-mute button of input device 20, thereby generatingcorresponding control instructions. In some embodiments, touching one ofthe audio mute button or the video quasi-mute button results insimultaneous activation of both features. The processor of portal 14continually monitors for control instructions to determine if thecorresponding participant 12 desires the streaming of live audio and/orvideo to stop (Step 230). The video conference session continues withoutfurther control steps being taken, until such input is received (i.e.,control may loop through step 230 until the particular participant'sinput is received).

When the particular participant 12 provides control instruction toquasi-mute the streaming video of themselves, the particular participant12 is provided with a couple of options. In particular, the particularparticipant 12 may be able to let others know about the stopping of thereal time streaming, or not. In some example embodiments, the particularparticipant 12 is provided with a way (e.g., via input device 20) toselect the corresponding option. The processor of portal 14 monitors forthis selection (Step 240), and responds accordingly based on theselection. For example, when the particular participant 12 indicates thedesire to quasi-mute the streaming video without making the otherparticipants 12 aware, the processor of the particular participant'sportal 14 simply triggers the portals 14 of the other participants 12 tobegin playback of the previously recorded and communicated video clip(Step 250). Since the video clip of the particular participant 12 isalready stored within the memories of the other portals 14, the playbackmay be immediate and without signal interference. In addition, thenetwork bandwidth required by the playback of the video clip may beminimal or non-existent.

It is contemplated that the type, size, and/or quality of the videosignal played back at step 250 may vary, and be dependent on networkand/or portal capabilities at the time of playback. For example, in someinstances, network and/or CPU conditions may not allow for communicationand/or playback of high-resolution video. In these instances ananimation or still image may instead be displayed on portal(s) 14. Forthese reasons, each portal 14 could be configured to determine itscapacity to playback the recorded video signal and proceed accordingly.

Returning to step 240, when the particular participant 12 desires theother participants 12 to be aware of the video quasi-muting, theprocessor of the particular participant's portal 14 signals the otherportals 14 to generate an alert on their corresponding displays (Step260). The alert may notify the other participants 12 that the video clipis not real time streaming and also that the particular participant 12may currently be unable to respond to communications.

Method 300 of FIG. 4 may be similar to method 200 described above, witha primary difference being associated with when the video clip isrecorded and/or transmitted to the portals 14 of the active participants12. Specifically, method 300 may begin with steps 305 and 24 that aresubstantially identical to steps 205 and 22 of method 200 describedabove. However, in method 300, no video clips are recorded prior to aparticular participant 12 indicating (e.g., in a step 320) a desire toquasi-mute their video being streamed to the other participants' portals14. Step 320 may be followed by a step 330, in which a video clip ofonly the particular participant 12 is recorded and communicated to theother participants' portals 14. In other words, the input received atstep 320 may trigger recording, communication, and playback of the videoclip of only the particular participant 12. By recording video clips ofonly the particular participant 12 and by recording only after theparticular participant 12 has provided control instruction to quasi-mutetheir video, the required bandwidth of network 16 may be reduced evenfurther. A slight delay may occur in this example, however, while theparticular participant 12 awaits for recording to be completed and thecorresponding video clip to be communicated to the other participants'portals 14 after the particular participant 12 has provided the requiredcontrol instruction. In some example embodiments, an alert may beprovided to the participant being recorded that is indicative of aremaining time in the recording process. For example, the participantbeing recorded may see a visual alert, with a countdown of how much timethe participant will still be required to remain in a recording posture.The remaining steps (i.e., Steps 340, 350, and 360) of method 300 may besubstantially identical to steps 240, 250, and 260 of method 200described above.

In some embodiments, a participant 12 may desire to un-mute their videoand resume transmitting live video stream (e.g., after completion of aparticular task or return to the conferencing location). Regardless ofthe process followed to originally mute the live video stream (e.g.,regardless of whether method 200 or 300 was previously followed),participant 12 may indicate their desire to un-mute their video bytouching, pressing, clicking, or otherwise activating the correspondingphysical or virtual feature of portal 14. For instance, the particularparticipant 12 may touch the video quasi-mute button of input device 20,thereby generating a corresponding second control instruction. Theprocessor of portal 14 continually monitors for the second controlinstructions to determine if the corresponding participant 12 desiresthe streaming of live video to resume, and selectively inhibits thevideo clip from being played back on display 18 of the otherparticipant's portals 14 based on the second control instruction. Inaddition, the processor of portal 14 selectively resumes transmittinglive video stream of the particular participant 12 to portals 14 of theother participants 12 for presentation on displays 18 thereof based onthe second control instruction.

FIG. 5 shows an example GUI 400, which may be shown on display 18 of anassociated portal 14 (referring to FIG. 1) and that includes featurescorresponding to some of the method steps described above and shown inFIGS. 2 and 3. As can be seen in FIG. 5, GUI 400 includes a main screen405 that can be divided into any number of sub-screens 32, eachsub-screen 32 corresponding to a different participant 12 who is joinedinto the same video conference session. One of sub-screens 32 (e.g., alower-left sub-screen 32) corresponds with the participant owner of theparticular portal 14. The real time streaming and/or video clip playbackdescribed above is shown within each of sub-screens 32.

As also shown in GUI 400, one or more features may be available forselection by the participant 12 (e.g., at steps 230 and 320 describedabove) to indicate the desire to mute audio and/or quasi-mute real timevideo streaming. In the disclosed example, these features include avirtual audio mute button 415 and a virtual quasi-mute button 417. It iscontemplated that, instead of virtual buttons being laid over sub-screen32, the virtual buttons could alternatively be located at a perimeter ofmain screen 405 (e.g., within a tool bar) and/or replaced orsupplemented with physical buttons (not shown) on input device 20. It isalso contemplated that the same virtual buttons could additionallyprovide visual indications to the participant 12 of their activationstatuses, and/or that dedicated status indicators (not shown) could beprovided.

In the preceding description, various preferred embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe broader scope of the disclosure. The disclosure and drawings areaccordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictivesense. For example, advantageous results still could be achieved ifsteps of the disclosed techniques are performed in a different order orif components in the disclosed system were combined in a differentmanner or replaced or supplemented by other components. Therefore, it isintended that the disclosed embodiments and examples be considered asexamples only.

What is claimed is:
 1. A first communication portal in a videoconferencing session with a second communication portal via a network,the first communication portal being configured to: transmit live videostream of a participant to the second communication portal forpresentation on a display thereof; receive a control instruction fromthe participant to stop transmitting the live video stream; selectivelytransmit a video clip showing the participant for playback on thedisplay based on the received control instruction; receive a secondcontrol instruction from the participant to resume transmitting livevideo stream; selectively inhibit the video clip from being played backon the display based on the second control instruction; and selectivelyresume transmitting live video stream of the participant to the secondcommunication portal for presentation on the display thereof based onthe second control instruction.
 2. The first communication portal ofclaim 1, wherein the video clip is recorded during transmission of thelive video stream.
 3. The first communication portal of claim 1, whereinthe video clip is recorded prior to transmission of the live videostream.
 4. The first communication portal of claim 1, wherein the videoclip is recorded responsive to receiving the control instruction.
 5. Thefirst communication portal of claim 1, wherein the first communicationportal is configured to: transmit the video clip to the secondcommunication portal prior to receipt of the control instruction; andenable playback of the video clip on the display in response to thecontrol instruction being received.
 6. The first communication portal ofclaim 1, wherein the first communication portal is configured toautomatically record the video clip at a start of the video conferencingsession.
 7. The first communication portal of claim 1, wherein: theparticipant is a first participant; the display is a first display; thevideo clip is a first video clip; and the first communication portal isfurther configured to: receive from the second communication portal livevideo stream of a second participant for presentation on a seconddisplay associated with the first participant; and receive from thesecond communication portal a video clip showing the second participantfor playback on the second display.
 8. The first communication portal ofclaim 1, wherein: the participant is a one of a plurality ofparticipants associated with a video conferencing session; and the firstcommunication portal is further configured to distribute video clips ofeach of the plurality of participants to all others of the plurality ofparticipants, for subsequent playback triggered when a corresponding oneof the plurality of participants provides a control instruction to stoptransmission of live video stream.
 9. The first communication portal ofclaim 1, wherein: the first communication portal is further configuredto provide a visual indication to the participant that live video streamtransmission has stopped; and the first communication portal is furtherconfigured to provide a visual indication to other participants thatlive video stream transmission associated with the participant hasstopped.
 10. The first communication portal of claim 8, wherein: thefirst communication portal is further configured to provide a visualindication to the participant that live video stream transmission hasstopped; and the first communication portal is configured to provide thevisual indication to the other participants only when the participantprovides instruction for the first communication portal to provide thevisual indication.
 11. A computer-implemented method for managing avideo conference session, comprising: transmitting live video stream ofa participant through a communication portal for presentation on adisplay; receiving a control instruction from the participant to stoptransmitting live video stream; selectively transmitting a video clipshowing the participant through the communication portal for playback onthe display based on the control instruction; receiving a second controlinstruction from the participant to resume transmitting live videostream; selectively inhibiting the video clip from being played back onthe display based on the second control instruction; and selectivelyresuming transmitting live video stream of the participant to the secondcommunication portal for presentation on the display thereof based onthe second control instruction.
 12. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 11, further including recording the video clip during transmissionof the live video stream.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim11, further including recording the video clip prior to transmission ofthe live video stream.
 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11,wherein: selectively transmitting the video clip includes transmittingthe video clip prior to receipt of the control instruction; and theplayback of the video clip is triggered in response to the controlinstruction being received.
 15. The computer-implemented method of claim11, further including automatically recording the video clip at a startof a video conferencing session.
 16. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 11, wherein: the participant is a first participant; the displayis a first display; the video clip is a first video clip; and thecomputer-implemented method further includes: receiving live videostream of a second participant for presentation on a second displayassociated with the first participant; and receiving a video clipshowing the second participant for playback on the second display. 17.The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein: the participant isa one of a plurality of participants associated with a videoconferencing session; and the computer-implemented method furtherincludes distributing video clips of each of the plurality ofparticipants to all others of the plurality of participants, forsubsequent playback triggered when a corresponding one of the pluralityof participants provides a control instruction to stop transmission oflive video stream.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11,further including providing a visual indication to the participant thatlive video stream transmission has stopped.
 19. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium encoded with instructions, which when executedby a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for managing avideo conference session, comprising: transmitting live video stream ofa participant through a communication portal for presentation on adisplay; receiving a control instruction from the participant to stoptransmitting the live video stream; selectively transmitting a videoclip showing the participant through the communication portal forplayback on the display based on the control instruction, wherein thevideo clip is recorded during transmission of the live video stream;receiving a second control instruction from the participant to resumetransmitting live video stream; selectively inhibiting the video clipfrom being played back on the display based on the second controlinstruction; and selectively resuming transmitting live video stream ofthe participant to the second communication portal for presentation onthe display thereof based on the second control instruction.
 20. Thefirst communication portal of claim 1, wherein the first communicationportal is further configured to: prior to receiving the controlinstruction, display a first virtual feature associated with anoperation of quasi-muting the live video stream; and prior to receivingthe second control instruction, display a second virtual featureassociated with an operation of un-muting the live video stream.